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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. track — a path
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. pound — a weight
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. bound — tied together
  8. chair — a leader
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bound — certain
  11. roll — a cake
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. bound — obliged
  14. roll — a list
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pitch — completely
  19. wound — an injury
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. track — to keep track
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com